the Other Side of the Mirror
by thekungfuferret
Summary: It's a normal day for Sky and friends: record a video, fail at parkour, rescue Ty from squids again, etc. But this time, the squids have a trap. Soon, the team finds themselves thrust into a world of opposites, where squids are... good? And butter is... EVIL? How will the team find their way back to their own world? By making a few new friends... - feat. Sky


"Hey, Jeb?"

The ancient man looked up from his ancient book, a look of slight annoyance in his eyes.

"What is it, Dinnerbone?"

"What's on the…" Dinnerbone's voice faded as Jeb stared distantly past the glass wall, beyond the confines of his study. Somewhere else, his thoughts were flying about like the glad angels of the Aether.

The two players sat inside the grand buildings of Mojang Headquarters, exploring some old scrolls and scripts that Jeb had discovered two days ago. Located on the top floor, Jeb's study had a glass wall that enabled anyone inside to look down into the never-ending buzz of the lobby. Several Mojang members hurried around, up and down stairs, passing on information and ideas like some kind of deadly contagion. The amount of potential packed into this one building never ceased to amaze Jeb, as it did with Notch. Sighing inwardly a little, Jeb remembered his old friend, the memory still fresh. He missed the big guy, he had to admit. There were no words to describe the kind of unending trust the two had between each other; Notch did personally choose him to continue the Minecraftia legacy. Jeb remembered the last time they would be seeing each other. Calling Jeb into his office, Notch had told him there was something else he wanted to work on, and only the two of them would know what is was; for everyone else, it was a surprise. That's why only Jeb knew that Notch was still alive, and that Notch was the first person to ascend into the Aether. Another inward sigh echoed in his head. They'd figure out how to officially add the Aether realm to Minecraftia, he thought. They'd figure eventually…

"Hello? Anyone home? Earth to Jeb?" Dinnerbone snapped his fingers quickly in front of Jeb's face, which proved extremely difficult, considering how the man was always upside-down. Snapping back into reality [oops, pun not intended ] Jeb shook his head quickly, clearing it of any leftover thoughts.

"Sorry, just thinking to myself," he responded, casually readjusting the laurel wreath on his head. He cleared his throat. "Anyways, what was your question again?" In reply, Dinnerbone pointed to the dim corner of the study.

Covered in cobwebs, there stood a lonely piece of glass. Flat, rectangular, and very dusty, it revealed itself to be a prototype model of a mirror. It gleamed mysteriously in the lamps of the study, bathing the room in a soft beautiful glow. Sadly, however, the mirror was still buggy, that being the main reason why Jeb had yet to add it into the latest update. It had jagged non-linear edges, it spurted out random pixels, and it caused oneself to glitch out from the game if blown up. From time to time, it flashed black, or blue, or purple, or all three, as if someone had mashed the swirls of a Nether Portal and the dark mists of an Ender Portal together. And sometimes it would just disappear completely; in that situation, it just took some time until it returned, much like an unloaded chunk.

"What's on other side of the mirror?" Dinnerbone asked again, a fiery curiosity shining in his eyes. Jeb looked at him in confusion.

Scratching head unsurely, he replied, "I'm not sure I understand what you mean…" Dinnerbone huffed in return.

"Look." He stomped (well, as much stomping that an upside-down man can do) up to the mirror, and waved a hand at it. Pointing back at it excitingly, he said, "See? There's someone else on the other side! The other side of the mirror! And he looks just like me!" Behind him, a 'man' in a black fedora and white coat had his back faced towards the mirror, red hair peeking out from underneath the hat's rim.

Jeb stared. Jeb stared at Dinnerbone for a long, long time. Then, very slowly, he put down his book, pushing it aside gently. Carefully, he put his arms on top of the wooden table, and then laced his fingers together. He took a breath, looked Dinnerbone straight in the eyes, and, in as flat and even a voice he could manage, stated, "Dinnerbone. That's a reflection. Just like the one you see in the water when you use shaders."

The upside-down man was baffled. "But… so… it's not like an Ender Portal? Or a Nether Portal?" His shoulders sagged. "No… other realm?" If one word could describe how Dinnerbone looked at the moment, it was deflated. Suddenly frustrated, he said, "Then what's the point of adding a mirror if it doesn't do anything?" Jeb had an answer for that.

"It doesn't not¬ do anything; it does something," he replied matter-of-factly. Scowling, Dinnerbone crossed him arms and waited.

"Well?" he asked sharply. "What does it do? Amaze me," he added.

Pausing dramatically, Jeb answered "… it shows your reflection."

Feeling that it was a good end to the conversation, Jeb returned to the yellowed texts of the book he was reading before. He was just getting into the next myth when a foot came down on the page. Jeb scowled. "Dinnerbone, get your foot off my book."

But Dinnerbone refused to budge. "Listen," he retorted. "I've been reading some of these old books of yours, and though I'm not the most fluent in Rune, I can tell that even the first spawned players had ideas of alternate worlds before you and Notch even added the Nether and the End. Reflections were the bases of myths, superstitions, they even were thought to be a doorway to the spirit world! And you," he added, jabbing a finger in Jeb's chest. "You can't just barge in and tell me that that-" he waved in the general direction of the mirror " -serves no other purpose than to just show your reflection. What's the point even? I mean, you can F5."

Sighing, Jeb reluctantly set down the book and stood up from the chair. Ignoring Dinnerbone's ranting, he massaged his forehead gently before turning his back on him; he had about enough of the upside-down man. Dinnerbone stopped talking abruptly as he realized the old man was leaving. "Wait!" he cried. Jeb paused in the doorway with his back facing him, then sighed, the sound like leaves of the forest rustling.

"What is it, Dinnerbone?" he asked quietly.

"You never answered my question!"

Jeb's headed turned slightly to face him. "Oh?"

"What's on the other side of the mirror?"

Jeb hesitated. Or, at least, Dinnerbone thought he had. It may have just been his imagination, but when he saw what could have been a glint of uncertainty in Jeb's eyes, a bloom of triumph blossomed inside of him. A bloom that immediately wilted when Jeb answered in a withering tone: "Trust me."

An exasperated Dinnerbone had to restrain himself from punching the other in the face. "Trust you? In what?!" he spat out, face turning slightly red.

Walking swiftly out of the study into the hallways, his embroidered cape billowing out behind him, Jeb's sharp voice answered with authority, and a bit of forced confidence. "Trust me when I tell you this: that there is nothing – absolutely nothing – on the other side of the mirror…"

Oh, how wrong he was.


End file.
